Provided by: libmail-box-perl_3.010-2_all 
NAME
Mail::Box::Maildir - handle Maildir folders
INHERITANCE
Mail::Box::Maildir
is a Mail::Box::Dir
is a Mail::Box
is a Mail::Reporter
SYNOPSIS
use Mail::Box::Maildir;
my $folder = new Mail::Box::Maildir folder => $ENV{MAIL}, ...;
DESCRIPTION
This documentation describes how Maildir mailboxes work, and what you can do with the
Maildir folder object "Mail::Box::Maildir".
Maildir is not supported for Windows, because it create filenames which are not accepted
by the Windows system.
Extends "DESCRIPTION" in Mail::Box::Dir.
OVERLOADED
Extends "OVERLOADED" in Mail::Box::Dir.
overload: ""
Inherited, see "OVERLOADED" in Mail::Box
overload: @{}
Inherited, see "OVERLOADED" in Mail::Box
overload: cmp
Inherited, see "OVERLOADED" in Mail::Box
METHODS
Extends "METHODS" in Mail::Box::Dir.
Constructors
Extends "Constructors" in Mail::Box::Dir.
Mail::Box::Maildir->new(%options)
-Option --Defined in --Default
accept_new <false>
access Mail::Box 'r'
body_delayed_type Mail::Box Mail::Message::Body::Delayed
body_type Mail::Box Mail::Message::Body::Lines
coerce_options Mail::Box []
create Mail::Box <false>
directory Mail::Box::Dir <derived from folder name>
extract Mail::Box 10240
field_type Mail::Box undef
fix_headers Mail::Box <false>
folder Mail::Box $ENV{MAIL}
folderdir Mail::Box $ENV{HOME}/.maildir
head_delayed_type Mail::Box Mail::Message::Head::Delayed
head_type Mail::Box Mail::Message::Head::Complete
keep_dups Mail::Box <false>
lock_file Mail::Box <not used>
lock_timeout Mail::Box <not used>
lock_type Mail::Box 'NONE' (constant)
lock_wait Mail::Box <not used>
locker Mail::Box undef
log Mail::Reporter 'WARNINGS'
manager Mail::Box undef
message_type Mail::Box <folder-class>::Message
multipart_type Mail::Box Mail::Message::Body::Multipart
remove_when_empty Mail::Box <true>
save_on_exit Mail::Box <true>
trace Mail::Reporter 'WARNINGS'
trusted Mail::Box <depends on folder location>
accept_new => BOOLEAN
When the folder is open, some messages may be stored in the "new" sub-directory. By
default, these messages are immediately moved to the "cur" directory when the folder
is opened. Otherwise, you have to call acceptMessages() or
Mail::Box::Maildir::Message::accept().
access => MODE
body_delayed_type => CLASS
body_type => CLASS|CODE
coerce_options => ARRAY
create => BOOLEAN
directory => DIRECTORY
extract => INTEGER | CODE | METHOD | 'LAZY'|'ALWAYS'
field_type => CLASS
fix_headers => BOOLEAN
folder => FOLDERNAME
folderdir => DIRECTORY
head_delayed_type => CLASS
head_type => CLASS
keep_dups => BOOLEAN
lock_file => FILENAME
lock_timeout => SECONDS
lock_type => CLASS|STRING|ARRAY
lock_wait => SECONDS
locker => OBJECT
log => LEVEL
manager => MANAGER
message_type => CLASS
multipart_type => CLASS
remove_when_empty => BOOLEAN
save_on_exit => BOOLEAN
trace => LEVEL
trusted => BOOLEAN
The folder
Extends "The folder" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->addMessage($message, %options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->addMessages(@messages)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
Mail::Box::Maildir->appendMessages(%options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->close(%options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->copyTo($folder, %options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->delete(%options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->directory()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box::Dir
$obj->folderdir( [$directory] )
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->name()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->organization()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->size()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->type()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->update(%options)
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
$obj->url()
Inherited, see "The folder" in Mail::Box
Folder flags
Extends "Folder flags" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->access()
Inherited, see "Folder flags" in Mail::Box
$obj->isModified()
Inherited, see "Folder flags" in Mail::Box
$obj->modified( [BOOLEAN] )
Inherited, see "Folder flags" in Mail::Box
$obj->writable()
Inherited, see "Folder flags" in Mail::Box
The messages
Extends "The messages" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->current( [$number|$message|$message_id] )
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->find($message_id)
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->findFirstLabeled( $label, [BOOLEAN, [$msgs]] )
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->message( $index, [$message] )
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->messageId( $message_id, [$message] )
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->messageIds()
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->messages( <'ALL'|$range|'ACTIVE'|'DELETED'|$label| !$label|$filter> )
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->nrMessages(%options)
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
$obj->scanForMessages($message, $message_ids, $timespan, $window)
Inherited, see "The messages" in Mail::Box
Sub-folders
Extends "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->listSubFolders(%options)
Mail::Box::Maildir->listSubFolders(%options)
Inherited, see "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box
$obj->nameOfSubFolder( $subname, [$parentname] )
Mail::Box::Maildir->nameOfSubFolder( $subname, [$parentname] )
Inherited, see "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box
$obj->openRelatedFolder(%options)
Inherited, see "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box
$obj->openSubFolder($subname, %options)
Inherited, see "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box
$obj->topFolderWithMessages()
Mail::Box::Maildir->topFolderWithMessages()
Inherited, see "Sub-folders" in Mail::Box
Internals
Extends "Internals" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->acceptMessages()
Accept all messages which are waiting in the "new" directory to be moved to the "cur"
directory. This will not rescan the directory for newly arrived messages, because
that's a task for update().
Mail::Box::Maildir->appendMessage(%options)
$obj->coerce($message, %options)
$obj->create($foldername, %options)
Mail::Box::Maildir->create($foldername, %options)
-Option --Defined in--Default
folderdir Mail::Box undef
folderdir => DIRECTORY
$obj->createDirs($folderdir)
Mail::Box::Maildir->createDirs($folderdir)
The $folderdir contains the absolute path of the location where the messages are kept.
Maildir folders contain a "tmp", "new", and "cur" sub-directory within that folder
directory as well. This method will ensure that all directories exist. Returns false
on failure.
$obj->determineBodyType($message, $head)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->folderIsEmpty($folderdir)
Mail::Box::Maildir->folderIsEmpty($folderdir)
Checks whether the folder whose directory is specified as absolute $folderdir is empty
or not. A folder is empty when the "tmp", "new", and "cur" subdirectories are empty
and some files which are left there by application programs. The maildir spec
explicitly states: ".qmail", "bulletintime", "bulletinlock" and "seriallock". If any
other files are found, the directory is considered not-empty.
$obj->folderToDirectory($foldername, $folderdir)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box::Dir
Mail::Box::Maildir->foundIn( [$foldername], %options )
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->lineSeparator( [<STRING|'CR'|'LF'|'CRLF'>] )
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->locker()
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->messageInFile($filename)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box::Dir
$obj->read(%options)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->readMessageFilenames($directory)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box::Dir
$obj->readMessages(%options)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->storeMessage($message)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->toBeThreaded($messages)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->toBeUnthreaded($messages)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->updateMessages(%options)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->write(%options)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
$obj->writeMessages(%options)
Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Box
Other methods
Extends "Other methods" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->timespan2seconds($time)
Mail::Box::Maildir->timespan2seconds($time)
Inherited, see "Other methods" in Mail::Box
Error handling
Extends "Error handling" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->AUTOLOAD()
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->addReport($object)
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->defaultTrace( [$level]|[$loglevel, $tracelevel]|[$level, $callback] )
Mail::Box::Maildir->defaultTrace( [$level]|[$loglevel, $tracelevel]|[$level, $callback] )
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->errors()
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->log( [$level, [$strings]] )
Mail::Box::Maildir->log( [$level, [$strings]] )
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->logPriority($level)
Mail::Box::Maildir->logPriority($level)
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->logSettings()
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->notImplemented()
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->report( [$level] )
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->reportAll( [$level] )
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->trace( [$level] )
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
$obj->warnings()
Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
Cleanup
Extends "Cleanup" in Mail::Box::Dir.
$obj->DESTROY()
Inherited, see "Cleanup" in Mail::Box
DETAILS
The explanation is complicated, but for normal use you should bother yourself with all
details.
Extends "DETAILS" in Mail::Box::Dir.
Different kinds of folders
Extends "Different kinds of folders" in Mail::Box::Dir.
Available folder types
Extends "Available folder types" in Mail::Box::Dir.
Folder class implementation
Extends "Folder class implementation" in Mail::Box::Dir.
How MAILDIR folders work
Maildir-type folders use a directory to store the messages of one folder. Each message is
stored in a separate file. This seems useful, because changes in a folder change only a
few of these small files, in contrast with file-based folders where changes in a folder
cause rewrites of huge folder-files.
However, Maildir based folders perform very bad if you need header information of all
messages. For instance, if you want to have full knowledge about all message-threads (see
Mail::Box::Thread::Manager) in the folder, it requires to read all header lines in all
message files. And usually, reading your messages as threads is desired. Maildir
maintains a tiny amount of info visible in the filename, which may make it perform just a
little bit faster than MH.
DIAGNOSTICS
Error: Cannot append Maildir message in $new to folder $self.
The message (or messages) could not be stored in the right directories for the Maildir
folder.
Error: Cannot create Maildir directory $dir: $!
A Maildir folder is represented by a directory, with some sub-directories. The top
folder directory could not be created for the reason indicated.
Error: Cannot create Maildir folder $name.
One or more of the directories required to administer a Maildir folder could not be
created.
Error: Cannot create Maildir message file $new.
A message is converted from some other message format into a Maildir format by writing
it to a file with a name which contains the status flags of the message. Apparently,
creating this file failed.
Error: Cannot create Maildir subdir $dir: $!
Each Maildir folder has three sub-directories for administration: "new", "tmp", and
"cur". The mentioned directory could not be created for the indicated reason.
Warning: Changes not written to read-only folder $self.
You have opened the folder read-only --which is the default set by new(access)--, made
modifications, and now want to close it. Set close(force) if you want to overrule the
access mode, or close the folder with close(write) set to "NEVER".
Error: Copying failed for one message.
For some reason, for instance disc full, removed by external process, or read-
protection, it is impossible to copy one of the messages. Copying will proceed for
the other messages.
Error: Destination folder $name is not writable.
The folder where the messages are copied to is not opened with write access (see
new(access)). This has no relation with write permission to the folder which is
controlled by your operating system.
Warning: Different messages with id $msgid
The message id is discovered more than once within the same folder, but the content of
the message seems to be different. This should not be possible: each message must be
unique.
Error: Folder $name is opened read-only
You can not write to this folder unless you have opened the folder to write or append
with new(access), or the "force" option is set true.
Error: Folder $name not deleted: not writable.
The folder must be opened with write access via new(access), otherwise removing it
will be refused. So, you may have write-access according to the operating system, but
that will not automatically mean that this "delete" method permits you to. The
reverse remark is valid as well.
Error: Invalid timespan '$timespan' specified.
The string does not follow the strict rules of the time span syntax which is permitted
as parameter.
Warning: Message-id '$msgid' does not contain a domain.
According to the RFCs, message-ids need to contain a unique random part, then an "@",
and then a domain name. This is made to avoid the creation of two messages with the
same id. The warning emerges when the "@" is missing from the string.
Error: Package $package does not implement $method.
Fatal error: the specific package (or one of its superclasses) does not implement this
method where it should. This message means that some other related classes do
implement this method however the class at hand does not. Probably you should
investigate this and probably inform the author of the package.
Error: Unable to create subfolder $name of $folder.
The copy includes the subfolders, but for some reason it was not possible to copy one
of these. Copying will proceed for all other sub-folders.
Error: Writing folder $name failed
For some reason (you probably got more error messages about this problem) it is
impossible to write the folder, although you should because there were changes made.
SEE ALSO
This module is part of Mail-Box distribution version 3.010, built on July 18, 2023.
Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/CPAN/
LICENSE
Copyrights 2001-2023 by [Mark Overmeer]. For other contributors see ChangeLog.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
terms as Perl itself. See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/